1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to mechanical structures. More particularly, it relates to a mounting unit for a structure that houses a repeater.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Repeaters are installed at preselected intervals along the length of cable trunklines to boost the signal as needed. Typically, repeater housings are mounted to the uppermost end of a solid, upstanding post having a lower end implanted into the ground like a fence post. The posts are heavy and unsightly, and include no means for protecting the cable that extends from the trunkline to the repeater housing. Thus, external cable guards are required to provide the needed protection. Moreover, the posts now in common use support only one repeater housing per post.
To overcome the problems associated with the high weight of the solid posts, and to provide means for protecting the cable routed from the trunkline to the repeater housing, some inventors have taught that hollow pipes should be used as the mounting units for repeater housings. While that approach is sound, it has never been fully developed. Although hollow pipes are lighter than solid posts and protect the cable to a greater degree, they still provide no means for mounting a plurality of repeater housings on a single post. Introduction of cable into the hollow interior of the pipe is also problematic.
Those of ordinary skill in this art are of the opinion that future advances in this field will be of the evolutionary type, i.e., the only progress that will be achieved will be in the form of refinements of the existing solid posts and hollow pipes. How a significant breakthrough could be attained is not apparent.